America's Little Girl: Rewritten
by Taneo
Summary: A rewrite of Esop's "America's Little Girl", From the original: "The story of Alfred's daughter...who no, is not a state. OCs."
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N PLEASE READ**:_ Hello. So before you say I am stoling these OCs I want to explain to you a thing. (Sorry if you've seen that too much everywhere but I couldn't resist). I have asked the author's permission for the use of these characters. That said, I am very sorry for those who wanted to see an end to "America's Little Girl", but I am going to be completely retelling the story, with basically no connection to the original. I don't know where the author was going with her story and quite frankly I don't feel that I could finish it well. (I _could_ throw together some half-assed ending involving aliens and Sasquatch but then nobody would be happy). Additionally, I made Martha and Alice older; in their early twenties and fresh out of college instead of in high school. That said, I do hope you enjoy this story! (And it goes without saying that I do not own any of the Hetalia characters.) Also I might change the title, but as of now I can't think of a good one so I'm just sticking with this one.

* * *

It was raining outside.

That was the first thing Martha noted upon waking. Frowning, she rolled over in bed and stared out the window at the dull grey sky and the rain drops that were splashing against the window pane. She glanced at the clock. The bright red numbers read "8:00" and she sighed, stretching out.

Yawning, she sat up groggily, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. She looked around, her blue eyes settling on the empty side of her large bed and signed. Her fiancé, Rick, who usually occupied the other half of her bed, had been absent for nearly two weeks now. He had left on some business and though he had told her he would not be in contact for several weeks, she still missed waking up to his warmth.

Martha had met Rick over five years ago as a freshman in college at one of those forgettable college parties. She had been preparing to leave when her best friend, Alice, had dragged her over to speak to him. Their initial meeting was a disaster, to put it mildly. He had been very drunk and she was just sobering up, which was never a good combination for first impressions. However, as the years passed and their friendship grew into something more, she found herself slowly growing attached to him, the way his smile quirked up, the stupid puns he always tried, and even dumb things like the tone of his voice or the slope of his shoulders.

They had started dating sophomore year, and upon graduation decided to get an apartment together. Rick had studied engineering and was offered a job in the government upon graduation, so the two had moved to DC, much to Martha's dismay. She had grown up in the suburbs and living in the middle of a large and unfortunately rather expensive city hadn't been her ideal. However, she had also been able to find a job in the city, as a writer for a small local newspaper and a secretary for some hot shot lawyer. The pay was not stellar, but it was work, so Martha took what she could.

Martha eventually hoped to get back to law school and become an attorney but as finances were tight, she realized she would have to put that dream on hold. For now, the main source of their income was Rick's work, which, though she hated to admit it, Martha knew next to nothing about. She just knew it was in the government and it paid the bills. She had asked him, of course but he always gave her a rather vague answer and when she pressed him, he would just shrug apologetically and tell her he really was not at liberty to go into the details. So she simply teased him about being some top-secret FBI agent while mentally trying to figure exactly how many drinks it would take to get the information out of him.

Martha rolled out of bed, and stumbled into the bathroom. She flicked the lights on, examining her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes, her favorite feature stared back at her, a brilliant shade of blue. Apart from that, Martha thought she looked rather average; a somewhat squashed nose, roundish face and a spatter of light freckles across her nose and cheeks. She had grown out her hair since college and it was now a little bit past her shoulders, though it was currently held up in a messy bun.

She had swum in high school and throughout college but since quitting she really had put on a bit of weight. Frowning she poked at her tummy, scrunching up her face. _I really should start dieting or exercising or something soon…_she thought, before grabbing her toothbrush and squirting a bit of toothpaste on it. As she brushed her teeth, she ran over what she had to do in her mind. It was a Saturday, fortunately, so she could relax a bit, but she was meeting up with Alice at 9:30 this morning to get coffee and hang out.

Once she had finished brushing her teeth, she quickly stripped down pausing only to examine the necklace that hung around her neck. It was a beautiful silver chain, with a small silver cross hanging off of it. There were also two dog tags hanging off the chain, and though the words inscribed on them were too small to read in the mirror, Martha had already spent so many nights reading and tracing across the names to know what they said; _Martha Hamilton_ and _Alfred F. Jones_.

Martha swallowed thickly, and stepped into the shower, turning the hot water on. As the water came pounding down, Martha let it beat against her skull, trying to drain out the unpleasant feelings that had so suddenly appeared. Martha's mother had died in a car accident involving a drunken driver when Martha was sixteen on the way home from a swim meet. Though Martha had been in the car with her mother, she had been lucky and survived with only a broken leg. Her mother however, had passed away shortly after, leaving Martha with nothing but the old dog tags and beautiful cross that now hung around her neck.

Fortunately for Martha, Alice's family, the Chens, had stepped in at this point and taken in Martha as their own, letting her live with them and providing everything she needed before she went off to college. The Chens were wonderful people, emigrated from China in their early twenties, and while they still spoke with heavy accents and often fed Martha odd dishes that she did not really know the contents of (though she did readily admit were usually delicious), she couldn't have asked for a better adoptive family.

However, even the kindness of the Chens had not been enough to replace the horrible ache Martha felt whenever she thought of her mother. She had been a wonderful person; hardworking, caring, and beautiful. She worked hard, so very hard to give Martha everything but when she had died…

"_Martha I'm sorry I hadn't been able to give you everything you deserved…sweetie I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." _

Martha bit her lower lip, reaching for the shower knob to turn the heat higher as she remembered her mother's last apology. Apology! After everything she had done, everything she had given Martha, she believed she should _apologize _of all things. Martha had wanted to grab her mother, shake her, scream at her, no, NO you did everything you loved me, what more could I ever ask for but her mom had looked so frail, so broken, so lost, almost like a child in that hospital bed so Martha had said nothing. She would tell her mother when she left the hospital, when she no longer looked so defeated, when she looked like she was supposed to, like she _always_ looked, strong and unbreakable.

That time, however, had never come and Martha had gone to her mother's funeral with the weight of all the things she never said to her mother choking her.

Martha's father had never been in the picture. The only clue she had of him was the dog tag she wore around her neck, _Alfred F. Jones_. Upon her mother's death, Martha had tried to find any clues as to who this "Alfred F. Jones" was, but even with Alice's help her search had been fruitless. Though the subject of her absent father had been a touchy subject for nearly all of Martha's life, she had decided, upon entering college, that it no longer mattered. She was an adult. She had come far without him, and would continue to push on without him. She was entering a new stage of her life and wanted to start with a clean slate. So, she had put all her frustration and pain, all her anger, all her lingering emotions that she could not quite define into a tiny box and locked it up, far, far in the back of her mind.

But she kept the dog tag bearing his name and his cross fastened securely around her neck.

* * *

Martha made her way quickly towards the café she had arranged to meet Alice, uncomfortable with the city bustle that surrounded her. She soon spotted her friend, sitting outside the café and reading a newspaper. Alice was a tiny Asian woman, slim with beautiful thick hair that ran straight down to her mid-back. She lived a few hours away from Martha, in Philadelphia, and they made it a point to keep in touch however they could. Since the drive between the cities was only a little over two hours, about once a month they would visit each other, alternating between DC and Philadelphia.

Growing up, Alice always had a passion for crime. It had started out with fictional mystery-solving characters, from Scooby-Doo to Nancy Drew but soon it became apparent that Alice's passion was real. Not to anyone's surprise, Alice had studied forensics in college and was now employed in the criminal division of Philadelphia's police department. She enjoyed her work and while she sometimes called Martha, stressed about one thing or another, she overall seemed to be content.

"Alice!" Martha called out, waving to her friend as she approached. Alice lowered her newspaper, her face splitting into a grin when she saw Martha, "Hey you!" she called back, waving.

Alice and Martha had been friends for as long as Martha could remember. They had met in elementary school, during a particularly rough time for Martha. Having a single, young mother made Martha an easy target for the school bullies and she was constantly picked on. However, Alice had stepped in, a tiny girl at the time, shouting ridiculous obscenities at the bullies and swinging her tiny fists furiously, and chased them away. Since then, the two had been inseparable.

Martha smiled at Alice as she sat in the chair across from her, "How've things been lately?"

Alice shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee, "Can't complain. Dude we've got some crazy awesome case right now I want to talk to you about it but I can't, you know how things are…can't go blabbering to the public. This might be my big break though! It's exciting, really it is, don't look at me like that you would be excited too if you were me!"

Martha laughed, shaking her head, "You know, on the TV the intense detective is usually serious and tortured. You don't exactly fit that description do you?"

"Hey I can be tortured if I want!" Alice wrinkled up her nose, "Anyways speaking of torture, how's it like being chained to that big lug?"

"_Rick_ is wonderful, thank you very much" Martha responded defensively, smiling nonetheless, "He's been gone for the last few weeks though."

"Business?"

"Yea. He said he'd be gone for a while this time too. And I can't even contact him! I just wish he would tell me what he was doing."

Alice frowned, "I'm really sorry dude. There's no way he can tell you what he does?"

Martha shook her head, "I've tired pretty much everything to get it out of him but if he says he can't talk, he can't. I trust him, you know? Well trust him at least enough to assume he's not getting involved with the mafia or out on the street corner selling crack or something like that."

"Says the woman who, just weeks ago was discussing how drunk she'd have to get her fiancé to get him to spill the beans." Alice said, raising an eyebrow and ignoring Martha's splutter of protest, "Anyways, trust is a two-way street. It's great that you trust him but if he doesn't trust you enough to tell you what he's up to…"

Martha nodded. Alice had a tendency to be horribly blunt, and generally seemed to be okay bringing up Martha's worst fears and vocalizing them. "I…I know Alice." Martha sighed, "But he said that secrecy was of utmost importance in his job. I feel that if that weren't the case he wouldn't go so far and come up with such an elaborate story. He does work for the government after all…you've seen the movies."

Alice laughed, "So you think Rick might be a spy? Dude he's a computer junkie. I don't see him getting into really dangerous situations and rolling around shooting baddies anytime soon."

"No, I'm not saying that, there are other secret governmental jobs that don't involve rolling around in dangerous situations shooting things, you know." Martha said, laughing as well. Rick was in very good shape, but she agreed that idea of him attempting to be a suave agent was absolutely ridiculous. He was simply too awkward to be smooth and too clumsy to be employed in any physical work.

"No, no you're right" Alice responded, still grinning, "Honestly if he's keeping quiet, there's probably a good reason for it. He's a good guy. Trust me, if for a second I thought he was going to hurt you, or damage you in any way he would no longer be walking this Earth."

Martha nodded, smiling at her best friend. The two fell into talking about other, mundane topics and soon were making plans for the rest of their day.

* * *

Sorry this chapter didn't have that much to it. It was just intro but it'll get more interesting soon! Also I'll be adding the actual nations in the next couple chapters! Anyways thanks for checking this out. :DD Reviews and criticisms are always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for the feedback I've gotten so far! I'm going to try to update once a week (no promises) so here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :D

* * *

Martha and Alice had left the café and spent the morning wandering about the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum before getting lunch at a small restaurant that served excellent sandwiches. They had then wandered over to the national monuments, passing some by while ambling about others, with no real direction in mind. It was fairly late in the afternoon; they had just passed the Vietnam memorial and were walking around in the surrounding park when Martha saw a familiar blonde haired figure sitting alone on a park bench, reading a book.

"Matt?" Martha called out, approaching the man. He lowering the book he had been reading and scanned the people around him, his eyes lighting on Martha and Alice.

"Oh hello Martha" Matt said, smiling softly. He was a young man, tall, blonde and rather handsome, with eyes that were a striking blue that bordered on purple. Martha had met Matt years ago when Rick first got his job in DC. Matt had been one of the first co-workers Matt had brought home for dinner and drinks and Martha had grown quite fond of the young man. He was gentle and kind, though she had quickly learned he had a strong streak of sarcasm that became particularly nasty when he had had a few too many drinks.

"Alice, this is Matt" Martha said, introducing her friend to the man, "He works in the Canadian government and has worked with Rick a few times on some projects. He's come over for dinner and drinks and let me tell you, this man can drink Rick under the table."

"Nice to meet you." Alice said, smiling and extending her hand, "You managed to survive Martha's cooking and outdrink Rick? Color me impressed."

Martha frowned, "Hey. And anyways Rick cooked those nights."

"That would explain it then" Alice said, laughing, "You know she managed to mess up a batch of instant cookie dough? The stuff you literally just pop into the oven? Yea. Set her oven on fire."

Matt laughed, "Oh goodness. That is impressive."

"She's exaggerating", Martha said stoutly, glaring at Alice, "I'm no Iron Chef but I can whip up a mean dinner. I'm just not good with desserts. And Rick enjoys cooking so I don't try to stop him."

"How has Rick been anyways?" Matt asked, turning to Martha, "I haven't spoken with him since our last dinner party."

"Oh, he's busy" Martha shrugged, "You know, work. He's away on business now actually so I haven't seen him in a few weeks either."

"You know, speaking of dinner we were going to have a dinner at Martha's apartment" Alice suddenly piped up, "Would you like to come?"

"Well we haven't had a dinner party in some time" Matt nodded, smiling, "I would love to come. Then we can see how good of a cook you are, right Martha?"

Ignoring Alice's snickers, Martha nodded, "Sure thing. I'm thinking 8ish? It would be a bit late but we would have to pick up ingredients and stuff."

"That sounds fantastic." Matt responded, "I'll bring over some desert then, since you apparently struggle in that department?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Alice nodded, as Martha spluttered in protest, "You busy now actually? We were just exploring the monuments and wouldn't mind the extra company."

"It's unusual for a DC resident to explore the national monuments" Matt said, looking at Martha.

"Well yes but I thought it would be nice to show Alice around" Martha nodded, shrugging, "You know, check out the heart of our great nation? Alice was horrible at US history and current events so a little educational field trip never hurts."

"I wasn't _bad_ at US history or current events" Alice retorted quickly, "You were just ridiculously _good_. There's a difference you know."

"You can't even list your senators"

"Well yes but you know oh who cares? Sherlock Holmes didn't know the Earth went around the sun I don't need to know who my senators are."

"_Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character_."

"That's what you think."

Martha rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Matt, "See?" she asked, "Educational field trips never hurts."

Matt laughed, "Indeed. I think I'll have to decline on exploring the monuments though. God knows I've seen them more times than I can count…my brother's dragged me around them at least a million times."

"You have a brother?"

"Oh…yes." Matt nodded, "His name's Alfred. He's very…American so he takes a lot of pride dragging me around the US and showing things off."

"Nothing wrong with that!" Martha laughed, "does he live in DC too then?"

"Um. Sometimes?" Matt shrugged, "He travels a lot. Kinda lives all over."

"Oh. Okay. It would have been nice to live in the same city as your brother I suppose…"

"Same city?" Matt spluttered, "No, Martha I don't live in DC! I'm Canadian! I am-no I mean live in a completely different country!"

"Oh dude really?" Martha shrugged, "Sorry it's just you're here a lot…"

"I work for the Canadian government so there's a lot of travel involved in my job."

"Oh. Oops. Okay." Martha laughed, "I dunno I just kinda assumed you moved to DC or something. My bad."

Matt sighed, "It's fine. Speaking of work, I have to take care of some things today anyways. It was nice seeing you though. I'll see you two tonight?"

"Sure thing!" Martha nodded, "8 o clock sharp! You remember where I live?"

"Sure do" Matt responded, smiling, "I'll see you later then."

"Yes! See you there!" Martha said, smiling and waving goodbye as Matt turned and headed off.

"Well we have another person to feed tonight", Martha shrugged, watching Matt's retreating back, "We better get cracking on that dinner…hey Alice, I have to clean up my apartment. Would you mind picking up some groceries for me?"

"Will do" Alice nodded, "Just gimme a list? I'll just come straight to your place when I'm done."

Martha pulled a pen and notepad out of her purse and jotted down the ingredients she needed, "Sounds like a plan. You know how to navigate the metro and where everything is?"

"I'm a big girl, I'll figure it out" Alice said in a teasing voice as she folded up the paper Martha gave to her and started walking away, "See you in a bit!" she called, waving back over her shoulder.

"Yea!" Martha nodded, smiling as she too turned and headed home.

* * *

It was around six when Martha returned home. The sun was still up though it had just started to dip down. Winter was coming, that much was obvious by the shorter, colder days. She let herself into her apartment, frowning briefly at how empty it seemed without Rick. She took her shoes off, threw her coat on the small table by the entrance and started making a mental list about what needed cleaning when a sudden voice startled her.

"You are Martha I presume?"

Martha jumped, then spun around. A strange man Martha had never seen before stood in her entry hall.

While Martha used the term, "man", she felt that was not quite right. The thing that stood in front of her certainly had the appearance of a man, with an engorged belly and face half-hidden in shadows, but there was something about him, Martha could not say what, that did not seem quite _human_.

He took a step towards her and she suddenly felt her terror being overwhelmed by sheer revulsion. Martha was suddenly reminded of a swollen spider after a meal, and quickly swallowed the bile that rose in the back of her throat. She backed up slowly, her eyes never leaving the man's mouth. His skin and clothes were white with a sickly green tinge, and his teeth were crooked and yellowed. The lighting around him was off too, Martha noted. Though the hall light was on, his face was still hidden in the shadow, the brim of the white hat he wore pushed down low over his face.

Martha reached slowly into her purse that she was holding, feeling around for the small revolved she kept on her person at most times, "Who are you." She croaked out, stepping backwards as he slowly approached her.

"It's not really that important" the man shrugged and Martha felt a shiver run up her spine. Even the man's _voice_ sounded wrong, oily, slick and simply too smooth.

"Well what do you want." She said, trying to suppress the tremor in her voice.

The man's smile never left his face, "I simply need you to accompany me…we have dealings with Mr. Rick, you know him yes? And well he is being rather…uncooperative."

Martha swallowed heavily, "Wha-what do you mean? How do you know Rick? What are you doing with him?"

The man spread his hands out, his chubby, short fingers glinting from the luxurious rings he wore on them, "We wanted nothing to do with him. He, well you see, he _insisted _if you will on getting involved with us. And now he decides not to cooperate with our operations…you can see how this is unfair, no?"

He took another step towards Martha and she whipped the gun out of her purse. She was shaking slightly but she held her aim, "Don't come any closer. I'm going to call the cops. Don't you dare move."

The sudden appearance of the gun, however, did not seem to deter the man at all, "Now, dear come let's not be brash. I _abhor_ violence you see, it is not really my forte so let us just remain civil."

"Then stay _back!_" Martha cried, becoming slightly hysterical, "I swear I'll shoot if you take another step, _I swear I will!_"

The man's smile never faltered and slowly, deliberately, he took another step towards Martha.

There was a loud BANG and shortly after, the smell of gunpowder filled the room. Martha gasped, still holding the gun tightly. She had aimed for the man's shoulder, hoping not to do any serious damage, yet still hoping to get her message across.

Her aim had been true, and she could see the bullet wound in the man's shoulder, a small black hole against his white suit. He paused, looking at his shoulder, and for a second, Martha thought he was finally going to back down. However, her horror intensified as he, calmly looked back up at her.

"Oh now you've done it." The smile was gone from his face and instead replaced by a deadly calm, "That was one of my nicer suits, you know. It was not by any means cheap and now you have gone off and ruined it."

"How…" Martha began but the man moved, quicker than Martha had seen anyone move, towards her and knocked the gun out of her hand. She stumbled back into the living room, bracing herself as he came towards her.

She swung with all her might, her fist connecting solidly with his injured shoulder. Her punch, however, like the gun shot seemed to have no effect on the man.

"You are _remarkably_ strong, dear, you know that" the man said, smiling again, "Really a punch like that would have leveled most of your kind."

"My kind…" Martha repeated, backing up again, panic rising quickly in her chest, "What are you talking about?!"

"Ah…unfortunately I may have said a tad too much." Again the man struck with insane speed, especially for such a bloated individual.

Martha tried to scream as she was slammed backwards, _hard_, down onto her coffee table. However, she was only able to get a small whimper out as his chubby fingers closed around her throat. Glass shattered about her and she could feel small shards stabbing into her back. She shuddered, clawing at the hands around her throat; not only was her oxygen being cut off but the man's touch felt _wrong_. Like his voice, his fat fingers felt slimy and oily. She could feel the cold metal of the rings press around her throat and she thrashed violently, to no avail. He was crushing her. It wasn't just the physical weight of the man either, but something else, some presence surrounding the man that was smothering her.

"Now. Are you going to come quietly?" the man asked, again the air of calm surrounding him.

She tried to kick free but could feel her strength quickly leaving her. Her thrashings became weaker and she could feel her vision going black around the edges. Just when she thought she was going to go unconscious, she felt the man's fingers loosen. Gasping for air, she crashed down onto the floor, limp. She tried to stand but the man's weight, that unbearable presence surrounding him was far too much and she could only lay there, among the shattered glass, numbed. She could feel herself being lifted, and her nausea rose once again at the man's touch. _What was he?_ She wondered briefly.

Everything about the strange man that now carried Martha, slung over his shoulder, seemed _wrong_. Just _touching_ him made her feel ill, and his voice as well as his mannerisms felt disgusting, slimy and unclean. Martha felt completely paralyzed and dazed and could only hang there limply as she felt herself being moved out of the apartment building into the cool evening air.

_Please someone come…please someone help…_but Martha sincerely doubted most of her neighbors were home yet, as most of them seemed to work very long days. Matt and Alice were not expected for at least another hour, so Martha knew she could not rely on her friends. If the gunshot had failed to arouse anyone she sincerely doubted that anyone was coming to her rescue.

She was dumped unceremoniously into the back of a luxurious car. She could feel the rich leather of the seats against her skin and soon felt ropes binding her arms and legs and a cloth being tied around her mouth. Tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes and she once again tried to struggle against her abductor.

Her attempts were in vain however and she soon heard the door slam and another open as the man slid into the driver's seat. The car engine started and soon they were speeding off, Martha's thoughts clouded with fear, panic and revulsion for the man who sat in the driver's seat.

* * *

And that's that! In case you were wondering, no the person who captured Martha was not a nation (though yes, Matt was Canada). It'll become clear who he is with upcoming chapters. :) Again critiques and reviews are always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all your feedback! It really keeps a girl motivated! (Also, in case anyone was wondering why I made a new "villain", I really didn't want to make any of the Nations the "bad guy" here so I made up a new one entirely.) Anyways, here's the next chapter! **

* * *

Matt sighed, adjusting the cake he carried in his hands as he climbed the stairs up the Martha's apartment. He had been in DC for a brief meeting between his boss and Alfred's when he had run into Martha and her friend. It had not been his first encounter with Martha; he had been to her house on a number of occasions as a dinner guest, under the guise of Rick's co-worker, who was simply over for drinks and food.

He gritted his teeth, thinking back to the night Alfred had told him about Martha. They had been out drinking with some other nations and Matt had ended up hauling Alfred's drunk ass home with him. Once they had reached the Canadian's house, Alfred had grabbed Matt around the waist, tackling him down onto the couch in Matt's living room.

"Mattie. Mattie hey, Mattie I have a secret." Alfred had whined. Matt still remembered the stench of alcohol on his brother's breath, "It's a hugggeeee secret. But! But you HAFTA promise me you won't tell anyone. Not your boss not Art, nobody promise? Do you promiseeeeee?"

"Al, you're drunk" Matt had sighed and shoved his brother off of him, "Look you know better than to run around telling people your secrets when you're drunk. C'mon I don't want to know the codes to your nukes or anything, let's get you some water and get you to bed."

"No Mattie, no it's not a national security secret or anything like that" Alfred had rolled his eyes, "I'm _drunk_ Mattie, not _stupid_. C'monnnn. I need to tell _someone_."

"Tell your boss then."

"I can'ttt. I can't I can't I don't trust 'em."

"You _elected _your boss why don't you trust him."

"'s not a matter of _business_" Alfred had groaned, grabbing at Matt again, "'s a _personal_ matter. That's why I'm telling _you_."

"Al, I don't want to hear your drunken secrets." Matt had tried to pull himself out of his brother's grasp but Alfred had held tight, "C'mon Al, stop being difficult. Please."

"Mattie, I gotta tell someone. Pleaseeeeee. I trust you more than anyone else."

"Tell Arthur!"

"No. Don't trust him as much. Plus he'd yell at me. "_Alfred F. Jones you bloody wanker bloody fuck bloody wanking fuck bloody pip pip cheerio Doctor Who tea I say wanker!"_ that's what he'd say you know it."

Matt had chuckled at his brother's horrible imitation, despite his irritation, "Well tell me when you're sober?"

"No. I wanna tell you nowwwww." Alfred had whined, tightening his grasp around his brother's waist.

"Oh-okay Al you're hurting me!" Matt had given up. Clearly he was not getting anywhere tonight unless he listened to his idiotic brother. Anyways, knowing Alfred, it would probably be something dumb like he secretly loved _Say Yes to the Dress_ (Matt had found the recordings on his TV when he visited Alfred months ago) or something like that.

"Alright. Sit down Mattie" Alfred had slurred, dragging his brother down, "Yer down. Okay? Okay. Now promissseee you'll keep this a secret. Pinky promise. Pinky swear on all your maple trees and pot bushes that you'll keep your mouth shut about this."

"Fine Al" Mattie had rolled his eyes, "What is it."

"You'll keep quiet?"

"Yes

"No matter what?"

"Yes Al, yes!"

"Even if you get captured an' tortured you'll _never_ tell anyone?"

"Oh my god Alfred yes I'll keep my mouth shut now what is it!?" Matt had cried out, exasperated.

Alfred had taken a deep breath before staring Matt straight in the eye, "Okay. Fine." Another deep breath, "I've a kid." he had finally blurted out, after a few seconds pause, rushing to get the words out.

Matt had looked blankly at Alfred, "That's it?" he had asked, confused, "Al, we all have children. Our people are our children. What are you talking about?"

"No. No Mattie. Not like that. Like. I have a kid. One kid. Met someone. Slept with them. Had a kid with her."

Matt had sat there in complete silence, staring at Alfred and allowing the information to sink in. It had taken a few minutes, with Alfred staring, concerned, at Matt while he tried to process the information.

"You have a child." Matt had repeated. Alfred had nodded.

"Like a single kid. Like there's a fucking kid out there with your fucking genes. Like you met a woman, banged her and got her pregnant. Like you are telling me there is a KID out there who is the fucking CHILD of the United States of America for fuck's sake WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY WERE YOU THINKING!?" Matt had started screaming, as Alfred had sat there, nodding like a bobble head doll "You CAN'T be that fucking stupid no you're kidding right oh for the love of GOD please tell me you are kidding that this is just some horrible JOKE."

Alfred had fumbled into pockets, pulling out his wallet, "Mattie, 's not a joke. Lookie." He had held up a picture of a young, somewhat worn looking woman in a hospital bed smiling and holding a tiny child, "It's her. It's my Jenny and Martha. I named her that you know. I like that name, Martha. It's a good name."

"ALFRED" Mattie had screamed, throwing his hands up, "I COULDN'T CARE LESS WHAT HER NAME IS YOU FUCKING MORON. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW SERIOUS THIS IS!?"

"Why don' you care Mattie, _she's your niece_."

Matt had stared at his brother, "_How can you be so fucking calm about this._" He had hissed.

"'m not." Alfred had shook his head, "'m scared Mattie. 'm really, _really_ scared. thas why 'm telling you. 'm scared of someone, my government, Russia, anyone really finding out. 'm scared about what they'd do to her. An…and 'm scared that I wouldn't be able to do nuthin' if someone hurt her…"

Matt had slumped down, "Al. Oh god Al" he had moaned, burying his face in his hands, "Al why. Why did you do this?!"

"Didn' mean to…" Alfred had muttered, looking away, "I used a condom an' everythin. I really liked her, Jenny. She was beautiful, you know. Smart too. An' funny as hell. But I knew I couldn' have her. We were drinking. I thought one night wouln' hurt. She called me months later an' told me…I didn' know what to do. I went to see her and the baby…Martha. We named the baby Martha. She was beautiful…" Alfred had trailed off, a distant look in his eyes.

"Where is she now" Matt had asked softly.

"I dunno." Alfred had shrugged. Matt remembered the tears in his brother's eyes that night as he examined the photograph, "Away. I try to help. I send 'em money and stuff. But I can' visit them. Someone would fin' out. Martha's 16. She'd s a swimmer, you know. Wish I could've taught her, 'm a pretty good swimmer myself…"

"Al…oh geez Al you idiot." Matt's anger had faded substantially upon seeing the look on his brother's face. Alfred was normally so cheerful, so _warm_, putting on a huge grin even when he was struggling, even when he was scared so to see his smile completely stricken, his eyes cast down and tearful, his hands clutching the photograph so desperately yet delicately at the same time, as if it were all he had, left a terrible ache in Matt's heart. He had pulled his brother into a hug, running his hand through his messy blond hair, "You idiot. You complete and utter _idiot_. You know we can't have that life. You know we don't get that luxury. You _know_ we can't have a family. Well, not like that anyways"

"I…I know." Alfred had hiccuped into Matt's shoulder, "I…I jus' wanted…for one night. This…this wasn' supposed to have happened. I was stupid. I wanna meet her, Martha. But I'm scared to."

"Because you're afraid someone will find out?"

Alfred had shaken his head, "Well that too but also… 'm afraid she'll hate me. She probably does. I remember what it was like when Art wasn't there for years on end…it made me so sad an' angry an' _hurt_. Sittin' there, wonderin' when he was comin' back, starin' at the sky always hopin' but afraid he'd gone and forgot me…I've done the same thing to her, jus' left her there all alone, good luck hope you don' die…"

"Al, c'mon your situation and hers were completely different and you didn't have a choice. You know you couldn't stay with her and raise her…you know what a disaster it would be if _anyone_ found out…"

"But she doesn't know." Alfred had wailed, "She just thinks I left her, that her dad's some deadbeat loser who can' even send a card on her birthday…I wanted to Mattie, I did but I don' know…Jenny she tried callin' me but I stopped answerin' her calls an' she stopped tryin'…I messed up Mattie. I messed up bad."

"You did" Matt had agreed, "But Alfred, you messed up now we have to figure out what you're going to do…why are you telling me about this now anyways?"

"Jenny…she died." Alfred said, softly, "Was a car accident. The other fucker was drunk…she died in the hospital. Her funeral wa' a few weeks ago. I saw Martha. Her leg was broken. She looked so lost…I didn' know what to do. I became strong so I'd never be helpless Mattie an' you know what I did when my own kid was sittin' there, lost, cryin', looking utterly defeated? I ran. I ran Mattie. I left the funeral without even talkin' to her, without so much of a pat or any comfort, 'm such a coward, such a fuckin' coward… I didn' know how to face her…I wanted to apologize, to grab her an' take her home with me but…but…"

"Al, it's okay" Matt had signed, running his hand through his brother's hair, "You were scared, it's fine…"

"I'm the fucking United States of America I'm not supposed to get scared!" Alfred had protested, shoving himself off of Matt's chest, his eyes rimmed with red.

"But you do" Matt had reasoned, "You know you do. I know you do. There's nothing wrong with it…look Al, you made a huge mistake. Now we've got to figure out what to do. What are you thinking?"

Alfred had wiped the snot off on his sleeve messily, "Well I think Martha's gonna be fine…I did some snooping around an' it looks like her friend's family's adoptin' her, thank god…but Mattie…could you do me a favor…?"

Matt had tensed up. Alfred never asked for light favors, "What is it…" he asked cautiously.

"Could you keep a closer eye on Martha?"

"What do you mean…?"

"Like…actually talk to her an' stuff."

"Don't you think _you_ should be doing that?" Matt had responded, eyebrow quirking up, "She is _your kid_."

"Matttiieeeeeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeeee" Alfred had begged, "I...I'm not ready yet."

Matt had said no initially but years of whining and begging from his brother finally wore him down and he agreed to his brother's arrangement. Luckily for them, at that time Martha had been dating a young man named Rick who worked in the US government so it was simply a matter of pulling some strings and getting Rick on international projects that involved work with a certain Canadian government agent. After that, Matt proposed a dinner party to Rick and was finally introduced to his niece.

Matt frowned as he reached the landing of Martha's apartment. He had been horribly nervous upon meeting Martha for the first time but had hidden it well. Thankfully, she was a nice enough girl and the topic of her family never came up. Matt soon found himself over at Martha's place for dinner whenever he was in DC, the visits getting easier each time. The girl was bright, though like many young people fresh out of college, rather directionless and confused. Though her appearance did not particularly resemble Alfred's, save her eyes, the same beautiful shade of blue, she had his same pig-headed stubbornness, childish mannerisms, and had apparently also inherited his lack of taste. Despite her shortcomings, however, Matt realized that she was, like his brother, a genuinely warm person, with a quick, bright smile, and he soon found himself enjoying her company.

Alfred had always called up Mattie, bombarding him with questions whenever he visited Martha and each time Matt had told him that it was high time Alfred himself came over. However, Alfred had spluttered in protest each time, listing ridiculous excuse after ridiculous excuse and frankly, Mattie was fed up with his brother's elusiveness.

He was going to this dinner party tonight and tomorrow, he would invite Martha out for coffee or something and, _conveniently_, also invite Alfred to the very same coffee shop. Trapping him in a public place with Martha, where Alfred could not create a scene or just run away without raising suspicion seemed to be the only solution to Alfred's avoidance of the problem.

"Martha?" Matt called out, knocking on her apartment door. He got no response, however and frowning he fished his phone out of his pocket and called her. "You've reached the voicemail of Martha Hamilton. I am not here at the moment but please lea-"

Matthew hung up and knocked again, "Martha? You in?" he called out, trying the doorknob. To his surprise, it was unlocked and he slowly swung the door open, letting himself into the apartment.

He quickly took his shoes off and walked down the short hallway and into the living room. As he entered the smaller room, he could feel his stomach drop. It was a mess. The coffee table had been smashed, the potted plants knocked over, the furniture strewn about the room, and Matthew could smell faint traces of gunpowder in the air. Crouching down, he noted a sticky, black substance splattered on the floor. He prodded it gingerly, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed it. It was mostly dried, but Matt could not for the life of him tell what it was. It smelled foul and made Matt's hair stand on end. He quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out a packet of tissues and wiped the substance off his fingers, crumpling the tissue and dropping it back in his pocket.

Matt quickly stood and started examining the rest of the apartment. He found nothing that gave him any clues as to exactly what had happened and quickly returned to the living room, pulling his phone out again and dialing a familiar number.

One ring, two ring…Matt bit his lip, fighting down the panic that was quickly bubbling up in his stomach.

"Hello?"

"Al. It's me."

"Mattie!" Matt could hear Alfred laugh, "How is it? How are things going?"

"Al. I went over to Martha's house today."

"Yea what's up?" Matt could hear the curiosity in his brother's voice, "How is she? Have you met the fiancé? What am I talking about you've worked with him but you know I really would like to speak to him. I don't know if I could trust him. He works in the government, maybe I really should arrange a meetin-"

"Al" Matt cut off Alfred's ramblings, "She's gone."

There was a moment of silence, then, "What? Like gone on vacation?"

"No Al, she's disappeared. She invited me over to her apartment tonight, and she's not here. The place is a mess, there's clearly been a struggle of sorts, there's some strange gross shit splattered everywhere Al I don't know what happened to her."

"Are you serious? What happened!?" Alfred's voice had completely lost any guise of his usual cheerful gusto and had dropped down to barely more than a whisper, "Matt if this is some sort of sick prank I swear to god I will kill you…"

"Al you know I wouldn't joke about shit like this" Matt responded, harshly, "It looks like she's been taken I don't know by who I've looked around the apartment and like I said the only thing around is some gross-ass goopy shit."

"Oh god Matt you don't think someone found out do you?" Matt could hear the hysteria at the edge of his brother's voice, "No that's not possible I kept my distance, there's no reason, nobody should know okay yea I snuck into her graduations and some of her swim meets but really oh god nobody in the government even knows about this shit not my boss nobody you're the only one I've ever told…"

"Al calm down" Matthew said, "There's no way in hell anyone could have found out. I've told nobody about this and you've kept your mouth shut too. So no I don't think her kidnapping has anything to do with you."

"Well than what? Why was she targeted?"

"Al, people get kidnapped all the time for multiple reasons, very few of which involve being related to a country. This probably has nothing to do with her being your kid. I just got here. I've poked around a bit" Matt said looking around the room and noticing something small lying under the couch, "Hold on a second, there's something here…" he stooped down, looking under the couch, cradling the phone with his shoulder, "Al it's a gun"

"Oh my god"

"I don't suppose you know if Martha carried a gun on hers or if this is from someone else?"

"How would I know that?"

"Thought so" Matt said, "I don't think I should touch it though…honestly Al at this point I should just call the pol-"

"What the _hell _is going on here?" a voice suddenly interrupted Matt and he spun around, finding himself staring straight down the barrel of another gun.

Matt threw his hands in the air, a signature of surrender, before looking up at the person holding the gun, "Alice?" he asked weakly.

"What's going on here Matt" she hissed, her dark eyes narrowed, "Start talking or I swear to Christ I will blow your brains to high hell"

"Alice calm down" Matt said, ignoring the yells of Alfred that were now coming out of his phone. While Matt was fully aware that the gunshot would not kill him, the prospect of explaining how he survived a bullet to the head as well as the pain that would accompany it did not seem pleasant at all, "I just came here. The apartment was a mess. I don't know where Martha is."

"What do you mean you don't know where Martha is?" Alice's voice was steady but low and dangerous.

"That's exactly what I mean" Matt said, keeping his arms raised and voice calm, "I came in just before you and the apartment was like this. I think she's been abducted."

"And you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with it?"

"Alice _I just got here_." Matt protested, "And really, if I had abducted her why the hell would I return here?!"

Alice's glare never left her face but after a few tense moments, she lowered the gun slowly. Matt sighed in relief, also lowering his arms which were starting to ache, "Did you call the police?" she asked.

"No." Matt said, "I was just about to"

"Who's that?" she asked, nodding her head towards the phone in Matt's hand, from which Alfred's yelling was still emitting.

"My brother."

"Why did you call your brother before the police?"

"I…I panicked" Matt quickly lied, "I've never been in a situation like this so I called the first person who came to mind."

"I'm going to call the police now" Alice said, finally lowering the gun completely and reaching into her pocket, "finish your conversation with your brother quickly. They're going to want to interrogate you."

Matt nodded, raising the phone to his ear, "AL" he screamed, over his brother's voice, "AL SHUT UP."

"Oh geez Matt you okay!?" though Matt could not see him, he could imagine the look of relief on his brother's face, "Good god I thought something had happened to you too I couldn't deal with that…"

"Al, I'm fine. Alice, one of Martha's friends just came in. She's calling the police. I might have to go in for questioning. I'll call you as soon as we have any updates okay?"

"Dude I'm going to the police station myself" Alfred quickly responded, "I'll wait for you there okay. We're talking as soon as you get out."

"Don't you have work?"

"It can wait."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Matt are you serious."

"Okay fine" Matt shrugged, "I'll be seeing you later then."

After he hung up, Matt slipped his phone into his pocket, looking around. Alice had returned to the room, her face pale and lips drawn into a thin line. The composure and anger that had radiated from her very being when she had first confronted Mattwas completely gone and instead worry and fear clouded her face, "I called the police. They're on their way…Oh god." She said, staring at Matt, "Who could have done this? Why would they have done this?" she collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face, "Martha oh god Martha what happened? I should have been here I shouldn't have taken so long with shopping I'm sorry Martha I'm so, so sorry…"

"Alice this isn't your fault" Matt said, kneeling besides the woman and placing a comforting hand on her back, "Martha will be fine, I'm sure we'll find the person who did this…"

"No you don't understand!" Alice cried, shaking her head, "I work with the police I've seen far too many missing cases where it's never solved what if they never find her what if she is murdered, _oh god what if she already's been murdered!?_" Alice had broken down completely, her hand in her face and sobs wracking her tiny body.

"Martha will be fine Alice trust me, _we will find her_." Matt grabbed the sobbing woman, hugging her close to his chest.

Alice did not respond but continued to cry messily into Matt's chest, soaking his shirt. She tried to speak a few times but was crying so hard she only managed to get a few hiccups out. They sat there until Matt heard the pounding of footsteps running up the stairs to the apartment and heard the door swing open as several policemen came in.

"You called?" a tall man in uniform approached Matt, who had stood up upon seeing the police.

"She did, actually" Matt indicated to Alice, who was still hunched in a small ball on the floor, "We think our friend, Martha might have run into some trouble."

"I can see why you'd think that" said the man, his eyes scanning the apartment, "I'm James Davis, a detective with the Washington DC Police. We're going to want to take both of you in for questioning, is that okay?"

"That's fine" Matt nodded.

"Okay. Officer Moore will see both of you to the station" Davis said, nodding to another man in uniform, who Matt assumed was Officer Moore. Matt helped Alice to her feet, and following the officer out of the apartment, was soon heading off to the police station, worry and fear clouding his mind.

* * *

**So yep. That's that! Again, any reviews and critiques are highly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: New chapter up! Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Matt hated police stations.

Glaring at the officer that sat across from him, he gritted out, for what felt like the hundredth time, "I'm telling you, I know absolutely nothing about what happened. I came in. It was a mess. I called my brother. Alice showed up, called the police then I came here."

"You're a prime suspect in this case, son", the officer, a middle-aged man named Taylor responded, "You still haven't told us your background and your relation to this woman is…suspicious."

Matt groaned, "I'm telling you, we met through her husband. And really you don't have the right to hold me anyways. I know my rights and you've got nothing."

Taylor snorted, "Leave now you're just going to look more guilty. And trust me, we've got ways to make it difficult for you to leave, 'specially since you're not a US citizen."

Matt was seriously getting irritated. Convincing himself that the paperwork and scolding he would get from punching a police officer in the face was not worth it, he growled out, "I'm telling you, I've got nothing for you."

Taylor was about to respond when a knocking interrupted him. Frowning slightly, Taylor stood and opened the door. A younger lower ranking officer stood outside, followed by a stern-looking and rather intimidating middle-aged man in a suit.

"Can I help you?" Taylor asked, not making any attempt to hide his irritation, "I'm in the middle of an interrogation for an important case."

"This is Mr. Matthew Williams?" the man in the suit said, not giving the other officer a chance to speak. Matt nodded, smiling despite his irritation with the situation, "Alright" the man in the suit completely ignored the other two officers, "You're free to go. Please come with me."

"Excuse me" Taylor said, stepping between Matt and the man in the suit, "I don't know who the hell you think you are but I'm in charge of this investigation and Mr. Williams does not leave until I'm satisfied he has absolutely nothing to do with this case."

The man in the suit cocked an eyebrow and examined Taylor coolly, "I don't think you fully understand your situation, Mr. Taylor. I can assure you that Mr. Williams will not aid your investigation for this missing persons at all and I have important business with him. Furthermore, I have orders from the top for you to let this man go."

"Oh really now?" Taylor said, his face colored, "Last I checked Chief was all for keeping Mr. Williams a bit longer."

"I said from the _top_" the man responded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. He handed the envelope to Taylor, "Not from your division."

Taylor took the envelope, still glaring at the man and reached inside, pulling out some papers. His eyes scanned the writing quickly, his face going from a splotchy red to a ashen white in a matter of seconds, "H…How" he managed to splutter, finally staring at the other man, amazement etched clearly across his face.

"If everything is in order then" the man responded, ignoring Taylor's question completely, "Then we'll be taking Mr. Williams." He turned to Matt, who had been watching the conversation with amusement, "Come, we have a car waiting outside."

Matt stood up, smiling at Taylor whose face was still an ashen pale, "Well I wish you the best of luck in your investigation. Keep in touch if any developments happen?"

Ignoring the angry splutters of the officer and the confused looks of the younger officer, Matt followed the man in the suit out of the station and to a rather sleek, black car that had been parked in front of the station. The man opened the back door and Matt slid in, not surprised to see Alfred sitting there, his blue eyes clouded with anxiety.

"Matt!" Alfred cried, pulling his brother into a half-armed hug as the man in the suit shut the door behind him, "Oh geez Matt I was so worried you okay?"

"I'm fine Al" Matt smiled, half-heartedly pulling out of Alfred's embrace, "The police were irritating but I get they're just trying to do their job…"

Al nodded solemnly, "So…what happened anyways."

"Oh god Al I don't even know." Matt sighed, rubbing his eyes under his glasses, "I went over to Martha's house for dinner and the place was a mess. I have no idea what happened to her, oh" Matt reached into his pocket, pulling out the tissue he had wiped the black substance that had been splattered all over Martha's apartment on, "This black goopy shit was splattered all over the apartment, thought you might want to look at it…"

"We'll talk about this when we get somewhere more private" Alfred said, suddenly, interrupting Matt and taking the tissue, slipping it into his jacket pocket, "Just act normal for now."

The man in the suit had slid into the front seat and started up the engines, "Where are we going, Mr. Jones?" he asked, looking in the mirror at Alfred.

"Oh, Alex, um, just home would be fine!" Alfred chirped, "Thanks a ton for giving me a lift."

The man nodded, "Well it is my job to make sure you don't manage to kill yourself Mr. Jones."

Alfred laughed, "And you do a great job, dude I really don't know what I'd do without you."

Alex smiled, a complete contrast from the stern and imposing presence he had in the police station. The smile actually was a rather strange expression on such a stern face, Matt thought, but then he supposed that was the influence that the Nations had on their people. Soon they fell into rather mundane topics as Alex navigated the DC traffic, reaching Alfred's home in record time. The two brothers climbed out, Alfred thanking Alex and waving him good bye before they turned and made their way up the drive and into Alfred's house.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?"

Alfred and Matt both jumped at the sound of the irritated voice, "A-Arthur!?" Alfred cried, looking shocked upon seeing the other nation, "Wh-what are you doing here!?"

"What am I doing here?!" Arthur exclaimed, throwing his hands up, "I think the better question is where have you been!? I called you ten times and you didn't pick up, hell I had to take a cab here and then pick your damn lock to get into the hous-"

"How the hell did you pick my lock!?" Alfred cried, "There's a top-notch security system behind that!"

"I'm very skilled" Arthur said, irritably, "But that's beside the point you _told _me you were going to pick me up at the airport you dolt!"

"Ah…yea" Alfred smiled sheepishly, "Um. I forgot?"

"How did you FORGET I told you this MONTHS ago please don't tell me you also conveniently FORGOT the world meeting we have next week and yes your face is blank there you go you DID forget you blathering _fool_." Arthur put his face in his hands, "You're the goddamn host how do you FORGET the annual conference?"

Alfred laughed weakly, "Oh no I didn't forget. Nope. Not me. I totally knew that was coming up um…that's why I was out. Just, you know, making sure everything's all good for all the nations that are gonna be coming yep!"

Arthur lifted his hands from his face and glared at Alfred, his face drawn into a scowl, "You really are an idiot" he said, after some time, "It's your head on the line here though, if you mess up completely. The others will be showing up over the next few days, so you may want to arrange a get-together of sorts so we can beat each other up and get out whatever tension there is before we have to behave like civilized blokes."

"O…oh" Alfred grinned weakly, "Um…do you have any idea when anyone else will be coming in"

"No idea" Arthur shrugged and turned away, "I've already moved my stuff into the guest bedroom, mind you so I'm not going anywhere. Hotels are far too expensive in this damn city. I just put the kettle on the stove though, would either of you two like some tea?" he called over his shoulder as he made his way into Alfred's kitchen.

"I'll have some" Matt called out, looking at Alfred, concern in his eyes, "_what are we going to do?"_ he whispered, once he was sure Arthur was out of earshot.

"_Fuck if I know", _Alfred whispered back, _"I had completely forgotten about the conference with all the panic that's been happening…"_

"_Me too_."Matt responded, worried "_Shit Alfred, the others will be coming and you're the host you can't just bail without raising a few eyebrows…"_

"Matt do you want your tea or not?" Arthur's voice interrupted their conversation and with a last, worried look at his brother, Matt hurried into the kitchen leaving Alfred standing in his doorway with nothing but his thoughts clouding about him.

* * *

They had been driving for several hours, Martha silently struggling against her bonds in the backseat while her captor fiddled around with the radio, never quite settling on a station. He had said nothing to Martha, attempting at one point to start a conversation, then chuckling softly to himself when she did not respond.

"Gagging a person generally does keep them quiet" he had muttered to himself, turning up some pop song on the radio.

Martha's limbs had for the most part gone numb. She had tried on a number of occasions to sit up and either get the attention of a passing car or open the door, but had found the windows tinted and the doors fastened firmly. She had then fallen back, exhausted. The strange man's presence still weighed heavily on her and while it did not immobilize her completely, she felt as though a massive weight were pressing down upon her.

After some time, Martha had no idea where they were, the man cut the engines. Martha could hear him slide out of the car and within a few minutes heard her own door open as she was lifted from the back of the car. She attempted to weakly struggle again but her efforts, for the most part, seemed to go unnoticed.

She was, once again, swung harshly over the man's shoulders and hung there, limply. It was dark and smelled slightly moldy, but beyond that Martha could not tell much about her surroundings. The man stopped walking and there was a slight "dinging" noise, which Martha recognized as the sound of an elevator. There was suddenly light as the man stepped into what Martha assumed was the elevator and they began moving downwards.

After a few seconds, the elevator stopped and the man stepped out, into a dimly light hallway. They moved down the hallway, the man pausing every few minutes to open a few doors with a small electronic whirring noise until finally the man stopped and opened the door to a small room.

He deposited Martha, unceremoniously, on the floor of room the and began untying her bonds. Once her limbs had been freed, he gathered up the ropes, "You can move now, you know"

Martha sat up slowly, examining her surroundings. She was in a small, sparsely furnished room with plain white walls and rather scraggly, dark carpeting. There was a bed in the corner, and a dresser next to it. A small wooden desk with a rather plain-looking chair stood next to a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Wh…where am I" she gasped, her voice raspy and throat dry, "W…who are you. What is going on?!"

"Sounds like you need something to drink" the man said, ignoring Martha's questions, "There's a bathroom beyond that door with a sink, feel free to use it."

"Damnit don't play around with me!" Martha tried staggering to her feet but both were far too numb from the hours of being tied up and she collapsed again, "Answer my questions! Who are you? Where am I? And why the hell did you kidnap me?!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you who I was" the man responded a slow smile spreading across what little Martha could see of his face; no matter the lighting the strange shadows seemed to cling about the man's face, only showing his lower half, pale and tinted a sickly green like the rest of him, "But you know me, Ms. Hamilton. Really, all humans do. You don't like talking about me though…it really is a rather lonely existence quite frankly, being there constantly but always ignored, even when I was in plain sight most of you would choose to avert your eyes, hide from my presence instead of acknowledging me… and when one of you finally faced me it was to drive me off." the man paused, thinking for a few seconds before continuing, "When the Walls closed, well I was shut out, reduced to only a shadow of what I used to me…my influence was still strong but my physical presence was eradicate from this world. But things have changed you see. I've come back. We're all coming back."

"What are you _talking_ about" Martha growled, completely confused, "Walls? Who's coming back? Why do you keep saying humans? Are you saying you're not human? You haven't answered any of my questions you asshole!"

"But I just did" the man shrugged, "I'm telling you, there's no point in me being truthful with you…you wouldn't believe me. I can't obviously tell you where you are, it wouldn't make a difference since you're not going anywhere anytime soon and as for why I kidnapped you…I thought I had already addressed that. We had dealings with your fiancée. They went south. We want leverage. Not too difficult to understand, right?"

"What kind of dealings!?" Martha cried, "What are you doing with Rick!?"

"And that is something you really should not worry about" the man said, the smirk never leaving his face, "You know...you're an odd individual."

"What are you talking about?" Martha said, "You fucking _kidnapped_ me, you're being all weird with your answers and what is _wrong_ with your face I can't even see it!"

The man chuckled, "No, you're definitely the strange one here…" he paused, reaching out. Martha instinctively flinched, tensing up but the man never touched her, his hand simply hovering in front of her face, "You almost remind me of one of _them_…but then that's impossible, no you're too weak, far too soft, and the presence isn't the same…" the man trailed off, straightening up.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Martha hissed, "You don't make any sense!"

"Trust me, it's better that way" the man smiled, his pale lips stretched over greenish teeth, "I will be taking my leave now. Enjoy your stay."

With that the man turned and sauntered out, leaving Martha alone in the dark with only her confused thoughts to keep her company.

* * *

**And that's it! Sorry it was short but things are a bit busy now and as usual reviews and criticisms are loved! :)**


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